Why are so many people in a hurry for 2010

I have a 2005 and like the 2010 but with the plug-in comming in a year with new batteries. why buy a 2010 now at list price?

Because I was in the market for a new car, now. Almost bought a 2008, but they wanted $21999 for it, so thought for the money the 2010 was worth it.

I'm curious where you got this plug-in availability info from. Everything I've read said limited fleet availability for testing starting the end of this year.

This is my first Prius, so I'm not replacing another one.

I agree the automotive landscape in general, and particularly with regard to alternative propulsion methods, is going to dramatically change in the next few years--which is why I leased for the the first time ever, so I don't have to bear the residual risk.

I seriously doubt the average person in the U.S. will be able to buy a plug-in Prius from Toyota within 2 years.

I'm a 1st time Prius buyer and my last car finally died 6 months ago and I really need a car - soon!

If you are sold on a plug in, I understand waiting for a plug in. But widespread commercial availabilty is still a debated topic. Furthermore, for me, personally, I live in an apartment situation, a plug in is not really an option. Seems to me a plug in is only really viable if you own your home and have access to a garage or direct line from home to driveway. Everyone else can't really plug in everynight.

Someday, maybe the technology will change, or the infrastructure will be advanced. But for now, for a lot of people a plug in doesn't work. I'd love that option if it didn't mean trying to talk a landlord into letting me add a outlet outside, then trying to risk a lawsuit by running a cord from the outlet to my car everynight.

Simple reason I guess: I have been waiting for the 3rd gen Prius for 3-4 year, hoping it to be plug-in with Li-ion batteries to do my daily commute on electricity (7cent/KWh here). Finally it is not Li-ion/plug-in but I now need to replace my 2001 Echo and get some more space for a baby coming.

Personally, I don't understand people changing cars each 2-3 years, especially if you're buying a Prius to "help save the environment"... Consumerism brought us to this point. Buying an new "ecological" car each year is neither logical (money wise) nor good for the environment.

I do understand the pleasure of driving a brand new car (especially in America [and I include Canada in it]) but this is moslty for emotional, social status reasons.

PS. Yes I do recognize that theoretically each used Prius sold could replace an old polluting gas-guzzler... but in practice I don’t really believe in that theory…

PS2. I also realize that buying a new model in its first year of production is not the best but I feel I can be confident enough in Toyota to avoid costly repairs down the road (wish us luck!).

PS3. Now I have to wait and see if a carbon-nanotube capacitor based battery gets commercialized soon enough so I can convert my 2010 to a high range plug-in during its lifetime.

The first Toyota plug-in will be available for limited fleet use. It will be awhile until they are available for people to buy.

Like most others that have replied, our current car is on it's last leg and we have been waiting long enough. Considering our car is a '97 we thought to treat ourselves to a new hybrid.

1) Trade in value of my current car is high right now, and will only go down.

2) HSD is a mature technology with a proven track record. Lithium plug in is a new/immature technology that will improve rapidly over the next few years. Much like digital cameras from ~10 years ago, the initial generations of lithium battery plug in vehicles will work but have lots of limitations, and will be rapidly superseded by newer models. Toyota isn't sold on current lithium battery capabilities, there are many posts about this on Priuschat. The 2010's seem to do as well as or better than the plug in Gen II modded prius based on results from published reviews.

As always, abilities of and rate of developement of future technologies is unpredicatble. I would love to have a plug in hybrid (43 mile daily commute), I just think the techonology wont be mature in the near future. Just my 2 cents.

I agree that buying a car every 2 to 3 years is wasteful, but only in a monetary sense (i.e. turning large piles of money into small piles of money), but not in an environmental sense.

For people who only buy used cars (either because it is cost effective or they don't have the finances to justify a new car) a used prius is a great choice in that it uses less fuel and pollutes less.

Old gas guzzlers are going to get rarer as time goes on....

Also, similar to most responses. Current car near end of life. Was going to go shopping in early December. Then went on Toyota website and saw a count down timer with a Prius wind tunnel silhouette. And it said third generation coming. I was like. aww crap. Now I have to wait longer.

I know I didn't have to wait, but I had to see what the new model was going to have. And am very glad I did wait.

When that happens, it's going in a new velomobile. Forget the car.

I wasn't in a hurry, but the timing was right. I thought about taking advantage of my company's hybrid incentive discount last spring, but due to high gas prices, dealers were marking them up way too much.

Then I learned that the Gen III was coming out in spring 2009, along with the Honda Insight. Once I learned that the price of the 2010 Package II was around $23k, I decided I was officially in the market to purchase my first new car.

I honestly think the Gen III Package II MSRP is a great deal. I totally understand why people might want to wait a few months to get something slightly below MSRP, but for me the time was right.

So far, I'm extremely happy with the purchase.

We have been waiting far a year for this car to come out!

Our son needs a car for school. He gets the old one, we get the new.

Also I believe Toyota will raise the price in 6 months do to our falling dollar value.

Our government is printing money like the Weimar Republic. The Dollar is worth 97 yen today. The Japanese like it at about 110 yen to the dollar.

to avoid paying wa state sales tax or course. im glad they repealed the exemption as of 8/1/09. forced me to buy sooner than i would have otherwise. love the car.

I use to have an excellent relationship with my other car but lately the relationship had turned one-sided. In hindsight (isn't that the way it goes) I should have sold it last year but didn't because it just wasn't the right time (repair bills for this last year alone were over 4K).

I hadn't seen a car I liked better than my old car so I figured why pay $$$ for something I'm only partially thrilled with. Then a year ago I started in on researching the 2010 and well it just fit me so I chose to pull the trigger for a 2010. It's only been less then 24 hours since our 2010 has come home but I already LOVE the car.

Cash for Clunkers
I am trading my '96 Ford Econoline 250 in for a new Prius. Yeah!! By the time the bill is signed into law, I figure there won't be many 2009's available new. One clunker off the road.

Congratulations!! and :welcome: Please post pics and your impressions in the sticky threads!!

Make that 2 clunkers coming off the road. I'm looking forward to saying bye-bye to my '98 Ford Explorer. Somehow the idea of going from 15mpg to 45mpg on a bad day appeals to me.<g>

1. There ain't gonna be a commercially-available plug-in or LiIon Prius next year. Maybe not for two years. And it's gonna cost more $$$.

2. You don't have to pay list for a 2010. Just wait a few months.

3. You're right, there's no point in upgrading from a Gen II to a Gen III unless you've got the money to burn. But some of us are not upgrading from a Gen II.